


cold hearts brew colder songs

by orphan_account



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Demon AU, Fake AH Crew, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-12-01 23:53:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20940164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The crew doesn't know that Jeremy is a witch, not that they need to know. Jeremy would never use his magic on them or to benefit their heists in any way.He does, however, drunkenly use his powers to summon a lust demon. This demon may or may not have the same face as a certain skull masked companion of his.





	cold hearts brew colder songs

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a Halloween fic, and this happened to come about by listening to a lot of Panic! At the Disco (what else is new) and loving the idea of Demon Ryan. Hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Title is from Let's Kill Tonight by Panic! At the Disco
> 
> (not beta edited, all mistakes are my own, blah blah blah)

October arrives and Jeremy has a feeling he is forgetting something important.

It’s not an issue for the rest of the crew, as far as Jeremy is aware. It’s been years since Jeremy has last forgotten, not since elementary school for sure. Even when he came to Los Santos, he made sure not to forget, it became second nature to him. Rolling out of bed the first day of October and seeing the date only leaves an itch he can’t scratch while he goes through the motions of his morning routine, wondering just what he could be forgetting that was so important.

He takes his plate of waffles into the main room of the penthouse, joining an exhausted-looking Ryan on the couch. The man doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to the television show he’s selected, eyes half open as he stares at the screen in front of him. He swats the man’s leg, making Ryan jump and smile sleepily at him.

The rest of the crew joins shortly after, and Jeremy seems to forget all about the unsettled feeling in his gut. The rest of the day goes by in a blur, with some early heist planning to some shenanigans around the city that have him distracted enough that he doesn’t think about the fact that there was something he was supposed to remember. The day doesn’t even end when he gets back to the penthouse, as Michael pulls him aside and offers, “We should go out tonight, it’s been a while.”

He’s not against the idea, of course. He’s never been one to turn down drinking with the rest of the crew and shedding the day off his shoulders. It was one of the better ways to wind down with the crew. Hell, maybe he could find someone on the dance floor and blow off some steam with them.

He looks at Ryan, who is currently making work at removing his face paint. “You want to come with us?”

Ryan shakes his head. “Nah, think I’m going to play some video games and head to bed. I’ve had enough social interaction for a day.” The black paint against his eyes makes him look gloomy, but it’s the icy blue underneath it that has Jeremy’s heart flipping.

Aside from their missing crew member, the night goes about as expected. Michael and Gavin are deep in tequila shots, hanging off each other and laughing about things that are only funny to them. Jeremy’s had a couple of beers and a decent amount of shots, which is enough to drag him out onto the dance floor and make a fool of himself with the others.

He swallows down the feeling of wishing Ryan was here with them, judging them from the bar and criticizing their dance moves, a fond smile on his face. 

A girl comes by with a tray of shots, Jack and Michael greedily reaching for them and tossing them back without question. Jeremy takes one, knocks it back and cringes at the taste. “What the fuck is this?” He shouts at Michael, the music growing louder in his drunken stupor.

Michael says something, his lips form words that sound right, but Jeremy can’t hear him. Jack’s already shoving another into his hand, and Jeremy shakes his head at her. She merely shrugs, knocking it back herself and tossing the shot glass onto the ground with a cheer.

Jeremy stumbles over the name, trying for clarification in his muddled mind. “Asmodai?” He tries, but Michael shakes his head. “Absinthe?” He supposes it doesn’t matter that much, as he’s not having another shot of that any time soon. He can still taste it on his tongue, the licorice flavor he least expected tainting his mouth.

They fall off the dance floor eventually, Jack mumbling something about taking off for the night and finding Geoff, who was their designated driver. Michael and Gavin wander off towards the bathrooms, mumbling into each other’s necks about things Jeremy really doesn’t want to know about. He’s alone on the side of the dance floor, watching various people grind against one another to the beat of a remix to some pop song Jeremy’s certain he’s heard Trevor sing over the comms before.

He falls into the throngs of people, blending in with the crowd as he reaches for more shots being provided, avoiding the one girl from before in fear of tasting something awful again. He allows the beat of the music to flood his veins, lose himself in the music and the sweaty people around him. It’s not long before he feels a pair of hands fall onto his hips, making him twist around to properly see the stranger’s face.

“Hey,” Ryan greets, breath hot against Jeremy’s face.

This wasn’t Ryan’s type of scene, out on the dance floor in front of people, especially without his face paint. Drunk Jeremy didn’t necessarily care. “Thought you were going to bed,” he shouts over the music.

Ryan’s hand presses against his bare stomach, warm as his thumb caresses his stomach. “Decided I wanted to do something more fun.”

Jeremy downs the shot in his hand. “I’m very drunk right now,” he tells Ryan, falling into the man’s shoulder and inhaling his scent. It’s not the familiar gun powder and sandalwood he’s used to this time. There’s a hint of smoke lingering on his jacket, something else that Jeremy can’t quite detect in his drunken mind. His nose is all kinds of fucked up right now.

Ryan doesn’t seem to mind, gripping Jeremy’s belt loops and pulling him closer. Their chests brush, Jeremy throwing his arms around Ryan’s shoulders. He swears Ryan’s hands are wandering further south to his ass, but he can’t bring himself to pull away when he’s half hard in his jeans and the alcohol creates a pleasant daze. They’ve never touched this much, if at all. Ryan was more of a private guy, nothing like the man before him now.

“I need another drink,” Jeremy decides, pulling himself away from Ryan and looking towards the bar. “You stay there, okay?”

Ryan smiles more seductively than sweet, unusual for him. “Yes, sir.”

It takes a while to get another proper drink, the bar rather busy tonight as a crowd of people gathers around the bartender with flirtatious smiles and drunken swings of dollar bills. By the time Jeremy gets his order placed he feels hands on his waist, hot breath on his neck and Ryan’s lips pressed against his skin. “Took too long,” he explains, lips wet.

Jeremy’s drink arrives at the nick of time, Jeremy pulling back from Ryan to down what he can before turning back towards Ryan and pushing them towards the dance floor once more. Jeremy’s never been a dancer, but luckily for him neither was Ryan. The two of them are more pushing against one another, thrusting, rather than doing any actual dance. Ryan’s pushing him backward, and Jeremy allows him to until his back hits a wall.

Ryan kisses him then, and Jeremy can’t help but arch into it. It’s not the most pleasant kiss Jeremy has ever had; it’s wet, sloppy, tasting of alcohol and a hint of smoke from Ryan. His fingers tangle into Ryan’s long locks, tugging slightly and making Ryan grin against his lips as he licks the inside of Jeremy’s mouth.

“I’m really enjoying this,” Ryan smirks, kissing down Jeremy’s throat.

When his hands slip over Jeremy’s bulge, he almost blurts out wanting to take this elsewhere. A club bathroom wasn’t the best place for a handjob, especially if one of their crew members happens to burst in and ruin the entire moment. Still, how many times has he thought about this moment, with Ryan cupping him and pressing hot, wet kisses into his throat?

Someone bumps into them, startling Jeremy and making him turn towards them. “Watch yourself!” Jeremy shouts, turning back towards Ryan only to find that the man has vanished. His absence makes Jeremy frown, heading towards the bathrooms as his stomach lurches.

The mirror shows how awful he feels perfect. Red marks litter his neck, a slick shine of saliva still there from Ryan’s open mouth kisses. He tries to pull himself together before he heads back out onto the dance floor, looking around for where Ryan could have possibly run off to this time, but only finds Gavin stumbling towards him, holding a shot at smiling.

“Runoff with someone, yeah?” the Brit asks, attempting to wink and failing miserably.

“No one you know,” Jeremy lies.

Geoff delivers them back to the penthouse in one piece, Ryan having caught a ride with someone else most likely. He’s nowhere to be found when Jeremy stumbles to his bed, passing out promptly the minute his head hits the pillow.

He’ll need to talk to Ryan in the morning.

**

Jeremy remembers what was so important when he wakes up hovering above his mattress. The sensation startles him, causing a burst of magic out him and sending him down onto his bed with a thud. God, it’s _ October. _

His hangover has him rolling out of bed groaning, holding his head and ignoring the bright sunlight pouring through his curtains and taunting him for his stupidity. There’s work that needs to be done, however, regardless of his idiocy from the day before. It needs to be done before he wakes up the rest of the crew with his stumbling about the penthouse, though he’s sure the others are just as hungover as he is, except for Geoff and Ryan.

_ Ryan. _God, that was another thing he needed to figure out today.

Here was the thing: Jeremy was a witch. This was something he’d done a rather wonderful job concealing from the rest of the crew, never using his magic to assist them in heists or even on his crew members to get things. Given that it was October, the veil between the living and the dead was the thinnest it could ever be, and his dumb ass had forgotten to seal his magic the day before.

He decides to use some of his magic on his hangover, dulling it enough to a minor headache that he can manage. He swishes some of the mouthwash in his bathroom around in his mouth to rid it of the taste of bad decisions. When he’s finally collected himself, washing his face and attempting to cover up the nasty marks on his neck as much as he can, he moves towards the kitchen to find some coffee. Ryan’s already there, browsing over a morning newspaper and holding a mug of what appears to be orange juice. He looks well-rested, perfect as usual. Jeremy loathes him.

“Morning,” Ryan greets him, his eyes falling onto Jeremy’s neck. Jeremy tries not to turn red under the man’s gaze. How does he greet his crew member after a night like that? Does he instantly bring up the fact that Ryan was close to jerking him off or just simply ask him what he wants for breakfast and ignore the entire ordeal?

“Where did you disappear to last night?” he chooses instead, starting a pot of coffee.

Ryan gives him a confused look. “Bed? I didn’t play video games for long, was too tired. Did you want me to wait up for you or something?”

The others shuffle into the kitchen soon after, and Jeremy couldn’t be more grateful for their arrival. Maybe Ryan didn’t want to discuss something like that right now when the crew could have walked in at any given moment. They could table it for later.

Gavin doesn’t bring it up to him either, which is a surprise. Normally the man would gloat to Jeremy about his stupidly obvious crush on the notorious Vagabond, and he would be especially pleased with the fact that Jeremy had done something about his feelings the night before. Instead, the Brit was silent, eyes casually glancing at Jeremy’s neck before going back to discussing something with Michael.

He decides to seal his magic after breakfast, locking himself in the bathroom with the excuse of feeling ill. He doesn’t do the greatest job, using the water in the sink to paint symbols onto his skin, halfheartedly mumbling the words under his breath until the symbols glow and burn out. Jeremy takes his time in the shower afterward, blasting hot water to ease the aching of his muscles and rid himself of the ever-present headache that lingers.

There’s a knock on his bathroom door as he’s drying off, Gavin welcoming himself into the steam-filled room and leaning against the counter, locking the door behind him. Jeremy raises an eyebrow at the man. “Do you need something?”

“I don’t appreciate you using Ryan,” Gavin states, flicking his wrist into the air and evaporating the steam around them. The heat remains. Jeremy can feel a bit of magic swirling around his own fingertips and nearly sets off the electric razor on his sink in surprise at Gavin’s actions. “Manipulation against crew members is rather awful, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t do anything to him,” Jeremy promises. “Does the crew know you can do that?”

Gavin simply shrugs. “Michael knows. He also knows that I don’t use it for my own personal gain.” Jeremy bites down on his lower lip, feeling a bit hurt that two of his crew members know about magic, one of them being a magic-user, and he could have been more open this whole time. Certainly, would have made a few things easier.

“I don’t use magic on the crew,” Jeremy insists. “I don’t use it for my personal gain either. I had no hand in what happened last night. Whatever that was,” he sighs, shaking his head. Gavin seems to understand his lack of answer, luckily.

Ryan joins him on his bedroom balcony later, startling him when he bumps his knee against Jeremy’s. “Everything alright with you? You’ve been awfully quiet all day.”

This would be the perfect moment to tell Ryan everything. About how he was born a witch and how difficult it’s been, how last night wasn’t about using some sort of love spell on him to make him do the things he did. It was simply because Jeremy wanted him, and for some stupid reason Ryan wanted him as well, and it was becoming harder and harder to believe it happened and it wasn’t some stupid drunk dream he had. Hell, what if he accidentally wiped Ryan’s memory of the whole incident and that’s why they haven’t talked?

He tucks himself into Ryan’s embrace, sighing. He doesn’t use his words, but it appears he doesn’t have to as Ryan simply keeps an arm around him, the two of them watching Los Santos turn into the night around them.

One day he’ll tell Ryan about things. Just not now.

**

Jeremy takes a bath that night, hoping the relaxation will help him forget about things. He borrowed one of Jack’s bath bombs so he could bathe in the pleasant scent of lavender and a bit of chamomile. It’s nice, to be alone with his own thoughts and think about what he could do about this whole thing with Ryan if he should wipe his own memory so he didn’t have to think about it.

There’s a knock on the bathroom door that takes him out of his thoughts, and before he can react Ryan is stepping into the bathroom. The water is murky enough that Jeremy doesn’t have to worry about covering himself up, luckily, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel a little uncomfortable with Ryan’s sudden entrance during his private time. 

He catches a glance at Ryan’s appearance and frowns, worried. Ryan’s eyes look a little red, his hands shaky as he kneels beside the tub. Ryan wasn’t one to show his emotions upfront to crew members, but right now Jeremy couldn’t help but reach his hands out the grasp Ryan’s arms and make the man look at him properly, worried. “Everything alright?”

“Need to talk to you,” Ryan tells him, and Jeremy simply nods at the request. He reaches for a towel nearby, bringing it close to him before moving back and getting out of the bathwater to wrap the towel around him. He’s about to tuck it properly when Ryan’s hand falls on his wrist, stopping his movements. “About last night.”

Jeremy rips his hand from Ryan’s grasp, adjusting his towel to sit on his hips and scowl at his friend. “So now you want to talk about it? How you left me half hard in some stupid Los Santos club wondering what the hell has happened between us?”

Ryan doesn’t seem affected by Jeremy’s animosity, moving closer to Jeremy and putting a finger underneath his chin to bring his lips into a deep kiss. Jeremy wants to shove him away, demand answers, but he’s always been too fucking weak for Ryan Haywood and kissing him is something he wants to keep doing if he has the chance.

They make out for a while, Jeremy in nothing but a towel that hovers dangerously low on his hips and risks falling to the floor and taking things so much further if Ryan played his cards correctly. Part of Jeremy wanted him to take the chance at that, blow him in the bathroom right there with the risk of one of their crew members possibly coming across them and calling them out. He didn’t care about anything right now except Ryan’s rough hands on his hips, his lips moving against Jeremy’s neck and creating even more problems Jeremy will have to cover up later.

“I’ll let you get dressed,” Ryan pulls back, pressing a lingering kiss to Jeremy’s lips before leaving the bathroom. Jeremy stands there, dazed, and wonders just what the fuck has happened.

**

Michael approaches him the next day at the shooting range. “Gavin told me, you fuck.”

Jeremy reaches for his protective headgear, hanging it around his neck. “Sorry?”

“You should be,” Michael flicks his ear, reaching for his own protective headgear from behind Jeremy. “We could have been pulling some damn good heists with two witches, and yet the two of you decide to keep everything to yourselves. Selfish is what you are, Dooley.” There’s a joking tint to his tone, which makes Jeremy crack a smile at his friend.

They carry on together, challenging each other to practices until Michael departs for lunch. Jeremy supposes he should too, his own stomach rumbling at him as he takes off his gear and begins to head toward the exit. He’s grateful the Fakes have their own shooting range they escape to, mostly so he can unwind without one of the Ammunation workers watching over him with what could only be suspicion. 

Ryan approaches him in the parking lot, having just completed his own time at the range. He gives Jeremy a friendly smile, plucking the Diet Coke Jeremy had bought inside and taken his own drink of it before handing it back to Jeremy, who simply pouts at the man. “That was mine, dick.”

“I get thirsty too,” Ryan teases. “So, I’ve told the rest of the crew to leave us alone for the rest of the day. Calling it a Battle Buddies day, or I could rephrase it to be ‘What the fuck is wrong with Jeremy’ day, so I can finally figure out what has been up with you.” He pokes at the mark on Jeremy’s neck, which makes Jeremy swat at his hand in irritation. “Like that. If you are seeing someone, shouldn’t I have a right to know?”

How does Ryan’s head work, that is what Jeremy wanted to know. Why was he still denying that he was the one that caused all of this, that he was the reason Jeremy was fucked up the past couple of days?

“It’s nothing,” Jeremy insists because if Ryan wants to pretend it didn’t happen, two could easily play that game.

Ryan’s hand cups the bruise, gentle and the opposite of the night before. “Jeremy, I just want you to be happy. So long as that happens, I won’t intrude. If someone is hurting you,” he doesn’t finish his sentence, he doesn’t need to. Jeremy understands the sentiment, and while he’s mighty confused about the whole situation, he appreciates Ryan for his words.

Jeremy collapses into Ryan’s chest, holding his best friend close to him. Ryan doesn’t hesitate to hug him back, kissing the top of Jeremy’s bald head before the two of them get into Ryan’s car and take off back towards the penthouse to spend the rest of the day playing video games and ignoring the rest of the crew for the day.

Eventually, Jeremy goes to make dinner for the night, the rest of the crew still gone doing their own thing. Ryan left to take a shower only a minute before, leaving Jeremy to his own devices in the kitchen as he decides to cook up some lemon chicken off a recipe he found online. He’s just placed the chicken on the pan when arms slip around his waist, pulling him back into a solid chest.

“What happened to your shower?” He questions, just as Ryan’s hands slid up his shirt.

There’s a dark chuckle in his ear as Ryan presses a kiss to Jeremy’s temple. “It would be better if you joined me.”

Jeremy turns in Ryan’s arms, looking at him directly. His icy blue eyes are almost black for a moment, the smell of smoke from the other night making a return. Jeremy knows something is completely off now, and it’s starting to make sense as to why things have been strange lately.

“I think,” Jeremy starts. “I’d rather spend time with the real Ryan, not you.”

The imposter chuckles at that, breath fanning out against his lips. “The real Ryan is right here, Jeremy. What makes you think I’m someone else?”

Jeremy shakes his head, the sizzling of the chicken making him pull away and reach for a spatula. “Maybe later, okay? Let me get our dinner cooked and then maybe we can do something fun.”

It seems to be enough, as the imposter walks away after that and vanishes down the hall. Jeremy goes back to finishing up dinner with some steamed vegetables, Ryan joining him later with wet hair and smelling of vanilla soap and just _ Ryan. _

“Smells great,” Ryan mentions, grabbing a plate from Jeremy and dishing up. He dishes up a plate for Jeremy too, handing it off to him with a friendly smile that Jeremy knows is just Ryan.

Later, when Jeremy is getting ready for bed, the imposter approaches him again. He’s wearing the same clothes as Ryan changed into after his shower, but this time the smells are complete opposites of each other. While his Ryan still smelled like vanilla and sandalwood, this Ryan smelled of cigarettes and sex.

Before the imposter could put his hands on him, Jeremy says, “I know what you are.” He can hear the Ryan imposter snarl from behind him, and he can’t help but smirk. “You’re a demon.” He turns to face the demon, who looks at him with an evil grin that sends a chill down Jeremy’s spine.

“You called me here,” the demon rolls his eyes. “Of course, you would know who I am.”

“It also means I can send you away,” Jeremy counters, keeping his distance from the demon. “So, why my best friend’s face? Couldn’t you have picked anybody else?”

The demon snorts. “I mean, what better face to have than the one of the most feared criminal in this city? I say that’s a pretty good idea. Besides, I couldn’t have picked anybody else even if I wanted to.” He steps forward, hands brushing Jeremy’s hips as he whispers, “The point of summoning a lust demon is making me look like the one person you are dying to fuck.”

Jeremy swallows loudly. “You are not _ him.” _

“No shit,” the demon bites back. “At least this way you can have a chance with him. He’ll never see you the way you truly want, so you might as well take what you can get.”

“I’d rather get rid of you,” Jeremy decides, pushing the demon away. “Leave me the fuck alone, leave my crew the fuck alone.” He pushes past the demon and out of his bedroom door, heading towards the kitchen for a glass of water that he desperately craves. Ryan stands in the kitchen, real Ryan, looking at him curiously.

When Ryan opens his arms, Jeremy falls into them easily.

**

Somehow, despite deciding that he’s going to fix things himself and not allow a fall into temptation with this demon, he manages to fuck up a little.

He’s been reading up on demons the past few days, trying to figure out just what steps to take to get rid of this asshole. It’s been difficult, not caving in to the various attempts the demon has made of seducing him; he’s wearing Ryan’s face, everything about him is Ryan, and, well, Jeremy is a weak man. He already knew he was in love with his crewmate before this entire mess happened. This demon knew damn well what they were doing with their motives.

The demon currently has Jeremy pressed close to them, fingers holding Jeremy close by his belt loops and his nose brushing against Jeremy’s as he whispers, “How much longer do you think you can push me away?” It’s Ryan’s voice that is being used seductively; Jeremy wouldn’t deny that it was already hitting him in the right places. It was frustrating too, that Jeremy couldn’t force himself to _not _be attracted to Ryan.

“Piss off,” Jeremy spits.

The demon scowls. “I’m everything you could possibly want, and yet you continue to deny me. When are you going to realize that this is the best you are going to get? Just give in.” They press closer, if that was even possible, their lips dragging across Jeremy’s as the witch keeps himself steady, pushing down the magic inside him that threatens to burst.

A door nearby slams shut, startling Jeremy. He pushes the demon away from him, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand angrily. “I really need you to fuck off. _ Now.” _

The demon rolls their eyes, tucking hands into their pockets. Their eyes are pitch black, smile devious. “I’ll be back soon, just you wait.”

Jeremy ignores the demon, going after whoever managed to catch a glimpse at them. He desperately hopes it isn’t Ryan, the real Ryan. The last thing he wanted to do right now was explain why he was pushed up against a wall with someone who wore his face.

Luckily, it isn’t Ryan. It’s Geoff, who stands in the heist room looking over their next heist with a scowl on his face and his arms crossed. “I don’t give a fuck who you decide to put your dick in, but do give a shit when it happens to be a _ demon.” _

Jeremy sighs. “Was it Gavin who told you?” Geoff merely shrugs. “It was an accident, alright? I don’t remember summoning it, but I know it had to be when I was drunk a couple of weeks ago. I’m trying to figure out how to get the fuck out of my life.”

“Is there a reason he looks like our pal Vagabond?” Geoff demands.

Jeremy bites his lip. “Um, so this is a little embarrassing? It takes the form of, uh, the person I want to, um, as you put it, put my dick in?” God, saying that out loud makes him feel even worse about the situation.

“You really need to get your shit together before this heist,” Geoff warns, pinching the bridge of his nose. “At least talk to Ryan about all of this, alright? It’s the least you could do for the guy.”

“And tell him what, Geoff? That a demon wearing his face keeps wanting to fuck me, and I’m pretty fucking close to just giving in? That the only reason I’m caving is that it’s the only chance I have with you? That’s fucking pathetic!” Jeremy throws himself down into one of the folding chairs in the room, head in his hands.

“Or because he was with me when I caught you with the demon?” Jeremy’s head shoots up, eyes wide. “Yeah, he might have a few questions for you buddy.”

Jeremy groans, mostly because of his idiocy, before taking off towards Ryan’s bedroom. He lifts his fist up to knock on the door, only for the door to open wide to reveal Ryan, face paint on and an evident scowl.

“I don’t want to know,” Ryan tells him, adjusting the pistol at his side. “I don’t give a shit what you were doing with that guy, or what he was doing with you. I was going to invite you to case this place for the heist coming up but I’m taking Jack instead.” Jeremy can already tell Ryan’s shielding himself, putting on a brave face. He’s known Ryan long enough to know when the man’s hurting.

He allows Ryan to push past him and out of the penthouse, all while he feels like he’s fucked everything up.

**

Jeremy wakes up a few days later with someone knocking on his bedroom door, completely ignorant to the time of day. Jeremy glares at the alarm clock that reads six in the morning, annoyed that someone from the crew would even bother waking him up the one day they have for themselves before their stupid heist. He pulls himself out of his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and opens the door to reveal Ryan.

At least he really hopes it’s Ryan. The last thing he wants to deal with now was that stupid demon. The imposter has at least given him a few days off from their nonsense. He could only assume he’s overdue for them now.

“I’m sorry,” Ryan tells him, his blue eyes vibrant and easing Jeremy’s tired mind. “I had no right to be mad about who you choose to be with.” His hair is down, messy from sleep and Jeremy can’t help but not that the man doesn’t have a shirt on. Hell, if it weren’t for the eyes, he wouldn’t have been able to tell if this was Ryan being genuine or the demon fucking with him once more.

“You shouldn’t have to apologize for me being stupid,” Jeremy tells him, inviting him into his bedroom and closing the door. The rest of the crew doesn’t need to be involved in this mess any further. “There is a lot I need to explain to you, stuff you have a right to know.” Ryan smiles at him, knowing, and Jeremy can’t help but laugh. “Which of them told you: Gavin, Michael, or Geoff?”

“Figured it out on my own,” Ryan explains to him, sitting down on Jeremy’s bed. “When your crewmate is making out with someone who shares your face, you have questions. I already knew about Gavin, so I went to him and asked if he happened to know anything.” He waits for Jeremy to take a seat beside him on the bed before he asks, “So, why summon a lust demon who shares my face when I’ve been here this whole time?”

Jeremy tries not to stay hung up on Ryan’s words, though he knows the red in his cheeks gives him away horribly. “I was drunk when I summoned them.”

“Have you been drunk the other times they’ve been around?” Ryan asks, rather sourly. Jeremy bites his lower lip. It’s bad, he knows it’s bad. He’s just grateful that he hasn’t gone the whole way with that damn demon.

Timing has never been a strong suit for Jeremy, so of course, the conversation is interrupted by the one thing Jeremy last wanted to make an appearance. It’s rather strange to see two Ryan’s in the same room, and he knows Ryan feels the same way about it by the way he’s looking at the demon, a scowl evident on his face and fists clenched at his sides.

“I think you should leave,” the demon growls at Ryan, looking at Jeremy. “Unless you are into voyeurism. Can’t say that I’m opposed to the idea.”

Jeremy has a comeback on his tongue, prepped and ready to send the demon away, but Ryan doesn’t give him a chance at it. “He doesn’t belong to you.”

The demon raises an eyebrow, and for a moment Jeremy wonders if they are surprised by Ryan standing up to him. Before something more can come of this, before the demon could hurt Ryan in any way in anger, Jeremy stands up. “No, I’m leaving. This is not going to happen.” He looks at Ryan, how his face has fallen at Jeremy’s words. He spins on his heel to look at the demon. “You can fuck off, alright?”

The demon doesn’t follow him, which Jeremy is grateful for. There are familiar footsteps following Jeremy down the hall as he escapes to the kitchen for something to drink, and when there is a grip on his wrist that flips him around, he nearly gets ready to use his magic to push them away.

Blue eyes gaze back at him, a hint of hurt glistening in them but something else that Jeremy can’t quite detect. Jeremy doesn’t get the chance to say much before Ryan’s cupping his neck and pulling him in for a gentle kiss. Another way he knows it’s not the demon doing this to him is the way Ryan handles him: it’s soft, nothing sexual about the way he’s being held or even the way Ryan’s hands move across his body.

Jeremy hates to break the moment, one he’s been craving for so long now, but he feels it’s important to announce to Ryan, “I know the name.”

Ryan grins. “The name of the asshole with my face?”

Jeremy nods, pulling Ryan in for another kiss in celebration. “I’m going to banish that asshole. For right now though, we can keep kissing. I don’t have to do it right now.”

**

That afternoon, Jeremy goes into his bathroom and lights a few candles. It’s the most basic of banishing, but it’s the only one he can manage on short notice. It does look rather ridiculous to someone who doesn’t understand what he is, which he could see in Ryan’s face as he peeks his head in with an amused smile. “Arson is usually Michael’s thing.”

“Maybe I’ll start,” Jeremy shrugs, closing the bathroom door behind them and locking it. He turns his back towards the mirror, knowing the symbols he’s placed there with water are staining the mirror, but he doesn’t worry too much about that. The mirror wasn’t going to be there later anyways.

Jeremy leans forward, pressing a quick kiss to Ryan’s cheek before whispering into his ear, “Asmodai, I’m banishing you back to the realm in which you belong. I would say goodbye, but I’m not going to miss you, pal.”

The room grows warm, Jeremy closing his eyes as he feels the magic drain from his body as the spell takes place. There isn’t a scream as the demon vanishes into the mirror, only a knock on the bathroom door that has Jeremy turning back towards the mirror and smirking as he sees Asmodai banging on the glass angrily.

“I’ll be out in a second!” Jeremy calls towards the door, grabbing a towel off the rack and covering the mirror. He opens the door shortly after, Gavin standing there with a raised eyebrow before his eyes meet the mirror.

“Ah, you did it!” he cheers, stepping towards the mirror. “Need help throwing it off the balcony?”

Jeremy grins. “You know what Gav? I would love some assistance in that.”

It’s amusing, tossing the mirror of the balcony of Jeremy’s bedroom and watching it shatter on the ground below. A lot of walkers are probably confused by the whole thing, shards probably shot towards some. Jeremy doesn’t care all that much. He banished a demon; they could all fuck off.

Ryan approaches him later, wrapping his arms around Jeremy and kissing him. “Almost got taken out by some jackasses throwing a mirror out the window. Happen to know anything about that?”

“They sound like dicks,” Jeremy chuckles. “Did you grab a shard as a souvenir?”

“Fuck that,” Ryan dismisses, pinching Jeremy’s hip playfully. “I am perfectly happy with putting this behind us forever. You are stuck with this version of me now.”

Jeremy thinks of what he wanted, what he desired and how he ended up in this mess to begin with. While he definitely wanted Ryan in the ways the demon played with, that wasn’t everything to him. He wanted Ryan because he was _ Ryan. _

“Good.” 


End file.
